Monday, January 7, 2013

Graft, financial waste definitely wrong, be it RM30k or RM100m

Graft, financial waste definitely wrong, be it RM30k or RM100m

By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor

January 07, 2013

Malaysian Insider

COMMENT,
Jan 7 — The RM30,000 bribe to muzzle a complainant in a sexual
harassment case in Penang has hit the headlines, reinforcing the point
that no one in Malaysia should accept or tolerate corruption and any
financial misconduct in the country.
So, while it is refreshing and laudatory to see mainstream newspapers
reporting the Penang case that involves a civil servant and a political
aide, questions remain why the local media is silent on the RM100
million National Defence Education Centre (Puspahanas).
Why are they wasting so much ink over RM30,000 and not a drop for the
project which has seen government land being swapped and sold but no
building in plain sight in Putrajaya.
Is RM100 million just change compared to the raft of multi-billion
ringgit federal projects? But RM30,000 is a lot and makes news because
it involves a political aide from the federal opposition?
What is the greater crime here? A company with no track record gets a
RM100 million construction job in 2005 and is paid with three parcels
of government land worth RM72.5 million and RM27 million cash.This company, which is Selangor Wanita Umno chief Senator Raja Datuk Ropiaah Abdullah’s (picture)
Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd, failed to build Puspahanas by 2011 but got to
sell the land last month to a unit of public-listed Boustead Holdings
Bhd, which is majority owned by army pension fund Lembaga Tabung
Angkatan Tentera (LTAT).
Yet no one in government or the local media have raised a hue or cry
about a facility that has yet to be completed? Or question how the
Boustead unit can buy land which is apparently locked to Raja Ropiaah’s
firm that she had to work out complicated deals to fund her project.
By all means, expose corruption as little as the one that one that
cost Teoh Beng Hock’s life in 2009. And the latest one in Penang. Peg
and assume reports that show Pakatan Rakyat (PR) also contains elements
who are corrupt and not above to dirty tricks.
But go for the big fish too. How can anyone close their eye to the
most daylight of robberies, a company that gets away with more money
than the cost of the building it never built?
How can the Ministry of Defence keep quiet about this? How can the Ministry of Finance not say a word?
Public land is swapped for a prestigious national project but nothing
gets done and everyone is as silent as the Puspahanas worksite.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) government has put eradicating graft as a
top priority by beefing up the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC) and setting up more anti-graft courts.
However, no one there sees it fit to investigate the Puspahanas
scandal with as much ardour and passion as they investigated Teoh in
2009 and this PKR political aide this year.
There must be some truth to that old Malay saying then, that “kuman di seberang laut nampak, gajah di depan mata tak kelihatan”.
Malaysians cannot and must never tolerate any corruption, financial wastage or leakage.
Investigate and publicise the Penang case because it is wrong to
bribe a complainant to drop her report. But also ask this one question:
where is the RM100 million Puspahanas and why is everyone keeping silent
about it?